Kerry's speech didn't bring anything new

Islamic Hamas movement said on Wednesday that the speech of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry hasn't brought anything new that changes the U.S. policy towards the conflict in the Middle East.

"Hamas wants to see a real change in the U.S. foreign policies in a way that backs ending the (Israeli) occupation and be fair with our Palestinian people," said Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Abdulatif al-Qanoo', adding that "all former accords brought us nothing but only destruction."

In a speech Kerry addressed at the State Department before his administration leaves next month, he defended the U.S. decision to allow the passage of a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution last week demanding an end to Israeli settlements.

Kerry said it was intended to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution, referring to last week's UNSC Resolution 2334 that gained an overwhelmed voting of 14 member states in-favor.

"Despite our best efforts over the years, the two-state solution is now in serious jeopardy," Kerry said in his speech. "We cannot, in good conscience, do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away."

"Both settlement and occupation are illegal," said al-Qanoo'," adding that the UNSC resolution "affirms this fact, so what is needed not only speeches, but also a real interpretation of the resolution on the ground as immediate as possible."

Hamas spokesman slammed Kerry's remarks for saying that Hamas and other Palestinian military groups are building up underground tunnels in the Gaza Strip that harms the security of Israel.

"As the (Israeli) occupation has the right to own a large military arsenal and buys warplanes, Hamas and other Palestinian resistance groups also have the right to develop the needed abilities to confront the occupation," said al-Qanoo'.

Meanwhile, an official in Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said that Kerry's speech "was too late to clearly unveil its position concerning peace and concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

"I think if this position has been clear during the second presidential term of President Obama four years ago, the map of the Middle East and of the entire region would have changed," PLO member Ahmed Majdalani said.

He went on saying that the remaining time for Obama administration "won't be enough in order to go ahead with this policy to build up a new base for a peace process that ends the occupation and guarantees stability in the region."

Akram Atallah, a Gaza-based political analyst, said that "the speech of Kerry won't be influential on the Israeli government because it decided to deal with the newly elected president Donald Trump that will take office next month."

Yasser Abed Rabbo, the former official in the  PLO executive committee, told Xinhua that Kerry's remarks "are important, good and positive and it has to be seriously kept in considerations."

"As long as the U.S. makes such remarks, we should bear it in mind because it helps us to be more influential on the world's public opinion and will help us to show that the international legitimacy is the base for peace," said Abed Rabbo.

source: Xinhua